No Words are Needed
by turquoise.seas
Summary: -FAX- "Her beautiful face was white as a sheet, but she stubbornly locked her jaw against crying out." Fang and Max have to find their way back home after the fight.
1. Chapter 1

Two years have passed since the third book. Max, Iggy, and Fang are all 16 – I'm not sure about the other's ages.

Fang POV-

I shifted my weight around quietly, trying to find a more comfortable spot on the cold ground.

Pulling my windbreaker more firmly around me, I scanned the clearing before checking on the flock.

Angel and Gazzy were curled up beside each other, their identically colored golden hair spread about them like halos.

Nudge was sleeping next to Iggy, who had one hand on her shoulder so that he would know when she moved.

Then, finally, was Max. She always slept a little ways away from the rest of the flock, as if she thought that she could protect them by not being right beside them all of the time.

She was curled up, shivering, with her thin, worn out windbreaker under her head as a pillow.

_Oh Max…_

I stood up, stretched, and walked quietly over to her and spread my jacket over her shaking shoulders.

I knew that my face was probably betraying my emotions, but there was no one around, so I didn't care. I worried about Max, so much more than anyone else in the flock.

She was so brave, taking care of the five of us without a care for herself. I sat back on my heels, with my hands on my knees, just looking at her.

I smoothed a lock of her soft hair from her forehead, and stood up, careful not to wake her.

As soon as I sat down, though, she stirred, eyelids fluttering. She yawned, and pulled my windbreaker tightly around her. Looking slightly confused, Max looked at the jacket, then at hers, then back to mine. The reason finally dawning on her, her brown eyes flickered up to meet mine.

I grinned at her, and she came and sat next to me. She yawned again, and leaned her head back against the tree.

"Thanks."

"Sure."

No other words were needed; we knew what had to be said.

"What'cha doing?"

I smiled to myself, looking at her closed eyelids.

"What's it look like? Keeping watch."

"Want me to – " Yawn. "-take a turn?"

Glancing up at the still star-jeweled sky, I shook my head humorously.

"Think I can manage, thanks."

Eyes still shut, Max's head slowly lolled sideways until it came to rest on my shoulder. I stiffened, and then slowly relaxed, smirking inwardly. Max would never hear the end of this one. Not that I minded, of course.

Telling myself I didn't want her to be cold, I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, and gently placed her head on the inside of my shoulder. I leaned my head softly against hers, listening to her steady breathing.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Max POV–

I slowly stirred, and sat up. I had been extremely tired (and still was) but I knew I needed to check on the flock.

I pulled my jacket around me, then paused. If I was using my windbreaker as a pillow, then whose was- oh. I met Fang's smirking brown eyes, sighed, and sat next to him.

"Thanks."

There was no need for Fang to ask what I meant.

"Sure."

I closed my eyes and mulled around for words, finally seizing the first phrase that popped into mind.

"What'cha doing?" I mentally smacked myself for the dumb question.

_Jeez, Max, can we say 'duh'?_

I could just feel Fang's smirk.

"What's it look like? Keeping watch," He replied, a touch of humor coloring his voice.

"Want me to – " I yawned. "take a turn?" Great. Now I really do sound like I'm going to fall over if I try to stay up another minute. Not that it's true, of course.

"Think I can manage, thanks."

He was laughing at me!

I was really getting dopey with lack of sleep.

I felt myself slowly slipping into dreamland again, so I sighed and surrendered to the dark tide.

A long time later, I slowly became aware of my surroundings. I was sitting on the ground, but I was considerably more comfortable than was normal in our circumstances. I was leaning against something warm and hard, and a strong arm was around my shoulders.

Fang.

_Crap._

I knew that I had fallen asleep last night after I was talking to him, and that I had most likely, in my dopey state, fallen on him.

I was _so_ never going to hear the end of this.

Fang's head was leaning against mine, his breath tickling my ear. From his deep breathing I guessed he was asleep, but I knew that could change in an instant. Fang is one of the most paranoid people I know (other than me) and would wake in an instant.

So, after some careful deliberation and difficult mental calculations, I decided that the best course (with the least embarrassment on my part) would be to stay in my current position.

Aka, with Fang.

I sighed and relaxed, feeling the soft cotton of his black t-shirt rubbing against my cheek. He smelled nice, a mixture of wind and outside and his own unique scent.

I hurriedly deepened my breathing and relaxed when I felt Fang stir and his breathing quicken. I could almost sense him open his eyes and check on the Flock, unconsciously tightening his arm around me.

I smirked inwardly, grateful for some ammunition to use against him when he teased me about falling asleep.

I felt Fang looking down at me, and his big hand closed on my shoulder, shaking me gently.

"Max. Wake up." I thought I put on a pretty good act of slowly opening my eyes, and grinning blearily when I saw him.

"Mmm, morning, Fang."

"At least it _is_ morning now, unlike the last time we talked."

I grinned at his gentle teasing, and noticed that he hadn't removed his arm from around my shoulders.

"You're warm," I said, closing my eyes and leaning against him again.

"You're cold," he said, and I could feel the words rumble up from his chest.

"_Wow."_

_Maximum-_

"_Shut up, Voice."_

"We really should get up," I said reluctantly after a while.

"Do we have to?" Fang groaned jokingly. "Five more minutes."

I must have been imagining it, but I was sure I saw real disappointment in his eyes as he rather reluctantly removed his arm from around my shoulder.

I stood up and stretched, leaving Fang still leaning against the tree; one long leg bent and the other stretched out straight, his dark eyes following me.

"Up an' at 'em, Iggster! It's a brand new day!!"

"Max?"

"Hmm?"

"Shut up."

I laughed as I shook Gazzy awake gently.

"Fang, can you wake up Nudge? I'll get Angel."

Once the whole Flock was up, I slipped back into my leaderly role.

"Ok, I think that we should go visit Mom in Arizona. Any objections? Good. Pack up; we can be there by dinner if we hurry."

As I was packing my things into my backpack, a heavy hand came down on my shoulder, making me jump and spin, preparing to attack as adrenaline flooded my veins. Fang leapt backward, lithely avoiding my swinging fist.

"Jeez, Max, tense much?"

I staggered, a hand over my even-more-rapidly-than-normally thumping heart.

"Holy _cow_."

I felt slightly dizzy – I knew that much adrenaline at one time could be just as effective as any knock around the head.

Fang looked at me critically, a hand automatically reaching out to steady me.

"You look pale. Sit down before you fall down."

I let a breath out with a whoosh. "I'm fine. You just startled me, is all. Did you want something?"

He even had the grace to look slightly sheepish.

"Any particular reason we're hauling ourselves all the way to Arizona in one day?"

I sighed. Time to spill the proverbial beans.

"Yes. I've decided that if all of you guys are ok with it, we're going to settle down at Mom and Ella's for a while."

He read my guarded expression closely; hands shoved in his pockets and face expressionless.

"What else?"

Dang.

"And we're going to start school again."

Fang got that faintly shocked look again (which for all of you non-Fang-readers out there means that he's going to die of amazement) and pulled his hands out of his pockets.

After a few minutes of silence, I couldn't stand it.

"So?"

He recovered his expression carefully. "So what?"

"So what do you think?!" I exploded, throwing my hands in the air.

Fang smirked at me, satisfied. "Whatever."

I shook my head in exasperation. "Fine. We'll talk to Mom and Ella when we get there."

I strode back over to where the Flock was waiting patiently.

"Flock! Air! Now!"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I rapped quickly on the door, then pushed it open.

"Hey, Mom! You've got visitors!"

Dr. Martinez (or Mom) bustled out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel.

"Max! It's about time you all showed up for a visit," she smiled, giving me a hug.

I shot Fang a nervous look, but he just looked back at me.

"Um, actually…"

"Can it wait until dinner?" she interrupted, looking knowingly at Nudge and Gazzy's longing faces.

"Yeah! Sure," I said in relief. "Where's Ella?"

"Oh, she went out for a run. She should be back soon."

I was completely dumbfounded.

"Why on Earth would she do that?"

Dr. Martinez laughed. "She plays soccer, but some people actually do like to run for the fun of it, Max."

"Oh." I said, ignoring Nudge's whisper behind me. "Yeah, but I'll bet we could beat any other human runner by like, a mile!"

Just then, I heard noise in the entrance, and Ella's voice calling.

"Mom! I'm home!"

Ella clattered into the kitchen, looking hot and sweaty. Her hair was falling out of its ponytail, and the pushed it away from her eyes in annoyance. She broke into a smile as soon as she saw us, and pulled me into a hug.

"Hey, Max! I missed you guys!"

I hugged her back, smiling happily.

"Missed you too. Mom said you were running – how far'd you go?"

"Oh, only about a mile today. I was too tired to do any more after practice yesterday."

I shook my head in amused amazement. "Ella, you're nuts."

Ella made a playful face at me, then her expression lit up. "Hey, Max! You should come running with me tomorrow! You are staying for a while, right?"

I very deliberately didn't look away. "Yeah."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

By the time we had all gotten seated at Dr. Martinez's table, I somehow ended up sandwiched between Fang and Ella.

"Hey, Mom? What're we having? "Ella asked, taking a gulp of water.

Dr. Martinez bustled around the kitchen, setting dishes on the table.

"Rotisserie chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, and rolls."

My mouth was a freaking _waterfall_. I didn't dare open it lest I drool all over Dr. Martinez's clean tablecloth.

"Mom, I love you." I grinned.

The doctor flushed as she busied herself in the kitchen. "I should hope you do!"

She sat down, taking off her apron. After saying a quick grace (where the Flock awkwardly closed their eyes, not knowing what to do) we all dug in.

It was dang _good_.

After thirty consecutive minutes of suffering from stuff-your-face-itis (which wasn't all that horrible of a disease) we all sat back in our chairs.

Dr. Martinez folded her hands on the table. "So, Max, what was it you wanted to talk about?"

I shot a quick glance at Fang, who was sitting back in his chair and had his arms folded with his long legs stretched out under the table. He looked relaxed, but his eyes were focused and his jaw was stiff.

_Thanks for the help there, chatterbox._

Before I could answer, Angel interrupted. "Max, can Gazzy and Nudge and I go play?"

"Sure, sweetie," I answered in relief. That left only Iggy, Dr. Martinez and Ella to break the news to right now.

After Angel, Nudge and Gazzy had scampered off, I faced Dr. Martinez again.

I mulled around for the right words. "Well, we've been thinking… we've been on the run for a long time, and we think it's over for a while."

I sighed. This wasn't coming out right.

"I want us to stay," I said bluntly.

"Of course," Dr. Martinez said. I shook my head.

"No, I mean _stay. _I mean for like, a long time, school, the whole shebang."

Dr. Martinez's eyes widened.

Iggy's jaw dropped. "School? Who are you and what have you done with Max?" He joked. Ella seemed dazed. "You want to actually stay? Like, _stay_?"

I nodded. Ella jumped up and practically tackled me in a hug.

"Whooooo!!!! Mom, they can stay, right?"

Dr. Martinez nodded her head happily. "Of course! She's my daughter – how could I say no?"

Ella dragged me out of my chair and grabbed my hands, spinning in circles. 

"You're staying! You're staying!" She yelled.

I laughed out loud as I spun with her. I briefly saw Fang grinning slightly at our antics before he whirled out of view again.

Ella and I finally stopped, breathless and laughing. "Come on, let's go tell the kids!" I grinned, pulling Fang and Iggy behind me.

"Gazzy! Angel! Nudge! Living room!" 

They raced in, falling on top of each other as they fell on the floor. I knelt down to their level.

"Guess what, guys? We're going to stay here with Mom and Ella! You get to go to school and everything!" 

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Fang-

I grinned quietly to myself as Max was immediately tackled by a screaming Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel.

"You mean it, Max?

"Yippee!"  
"So we can go to school again, and we won't have to wear uniforms this time hopefully. And we can get a whole bunch of new school clothes and maybe we can walk to school-"  
"Ella! We're staying!"

"Igg! We can meet a whole bunch of new _girls!"_

"-cause I mean _really_, who rides the _bus_ – ew!"

Max finally laughingly shushed them, sitting up from where she had landed on the floor.

"Yes, we're going to school. No, Nudge, there are no uniforms and we _are _going to have to get new school clothes, but we _will _have to ride the bus, sorry."

I nudged Iggy with my elbow. "I'm surprised she didn't call the Gasman a sexist pig," I chuckled.

"And as for _you, _Gazzy, you little sexist pig –"  
Iggy snorted with laughter.

"-I somehow doubt that you and Igg are going to be meeting the same girls, seeing as he's in a much higher grade than you."

"Awww!"

Dr. Martinez came in and interrupted the hilarity. "Ok, come on, kids! You need to come see your rooms!"

Max-

We all filed upstairs like good little children, and Dr. Martinez opened a white door.

"Here's our first extra room – I'm guessing the girls are going to want this one."  
The room was white and green with wood trim. It had two twin beds, with homey looking quilts. The dressers were painted white.

Angel and Nudge ran into the room and bounced on the beds.  
"Dibs on the blue one!"

"Awww. Ok, I'll take the white one."

The next room we came to had a heavy wooden door.

"And this one, I assumed would be for some of the boys."

The room was papered with reddish brown. There was an intricately carved wooden desk with a lamp and places to put things in drawers, and there were two also very fancy looking beds. Gazzy took Iggy over to the desk, and whispered something to Iggy as he grinned.

"We want this one!"

"Fine," I warned them, "but don't blow it up!"

Iggy and the Gasman cracked up, and Dr. Martinez looked faintly alarmed.

Now only Fang and I had to be shown our rooms. Dr. Martinez opened the next door, and I knew it was going to be Fang's. It was sparsely furnished, with only a plain desk, a chair, a lamp, and a plain wooden bed. There was a fairly small closet, but it's not like Fang has a huge wardrobe.

I snorted at that thought.

It was perfect for him - it matched his personality to a T.

Fang walked in, looking pleased. He ran his hands over the desk, and sat down on the bed.

"It's nice."

He grinned at my exasperated expression, and stood back up.

In answer to Dr. Martinez's questioning look, he explained impassively, "I want to see Max's room."

So did I, now that I thought about it. "Let's go."

Dr. Martinez led the way to the end of the hallway. When she opened the door I was expecting to see a room, but instead I saw a set of small stairs leading upwards.

"The attic," Dr. Martinez said slightly apologetically.

I was feeling slightly apprehensive until Ella bounded up behind me. "Oh, Max! Are you getting the attic? That's the best room in the house!"

I smiled at her. "Only the best for me, huh?" I joked.

Fang shook his head at me as we headed up the eensy-weensy steps.

I opened up the door at the top of the steps, and grinned. The room was perfect. It was cozy but not too small, colorful but not _too _bright. I can't describe it, but we'll suffice to say it was _way_ cool. I ran in and fell on the bed, sighing happily.

"Oh, I can _so_ see myself getting sent here if I get in trouble."

Dr. Martinez and Ella laughed and the corner of Fang's mouth twitched upward.  
"Well, you guys get unpacked and settled, tomorrow we're going for school clothes and supplies. You didn't come a day early, school starts next Monday and I still have to get you registered."

I grinned impudently. "My trademark. Since when have I ever been on time for anything?"

As they started down the stairs, she called back over her shoulders. "You were never late when I called for cookies!"

I laughed. "That's different!" I hollered back.

I grinned at Fang, who hadn't left yet. "Scat and go unpack your stuff, bucko."

He smirked back at me. "Don't call me bucko, Maxine."  
"Shut up, Fnick."

"Shut up yourself, Fmax."  
"Laaaame."  
"That's _Mr._ Lame to you, shorty!"

I mimicked him.  
"That's _Miss_. Shorty to you, jerk!"

"Right back at'cha!"

I was laughing my head off by this time; even Fang was grinning at our exchange. I pushed him out the door and slammed it, listening with a grin to his chuckles receding down the steps.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"How about this one?"  
I shook my head at Nudge and her disgusting frilly neon green shirt.  
"Ew, no."

Nudge sighed put her hands on her hips exasperatedly. "Max, if you don't agree to anything, then you won't have any new clothes for school!"

"Fine."  
"Max!"

"Look, Nudge, I'm a big girl; I can find my own clothes without having a mental breakdown."

She looked slightly dubious but threw her hands in the air and stalked off to find Angel.

I sighed, and began looking around halfheartedly.

I found a few pairs of cargo pants, and plain t-shirts. I also ended up getting some jeans (that actually fit!) and some nicer shirts in a lot of plain colors like dark red, blue, green, white, orange, and black. I grabbed two new hoodies and a windbreaker for good measure.

After picking out a few different plain pairs of tennis shoes I headed off to see how the others were doing. The Gasman and Iggy were both happy with anything other than torn army pants and huge hoodies, so they hadn't had any trouble finding new things. Angel and Nudge had gone to town with pink and purple frills, so that I could hardly look at them.  
"Ow. You're searing my eyes with all that pink," I joked, covering my eyes teasingly.  
"Max!"

"Ok, ok. Hey, at least I'll never lose you in a crowd," I grinned at them.

Fang was sitting quietly on a bench, waiting for everyone to finish. I flopped down next to him, sighing dramatically.  
"Woe is me, cruel and unusual punishment is being inflicted on us for no reason!"  
He grinned pitilessly. "Except that we looked like we'd just come off the streets,"

I stared at him. "We _did_."

"Right."

I chuckled, peering into his bag. "So what'cha get?"

He snatched it back, looking through it.

"Jeans, t-shirts, long sleeves, hoodies, boots."

I grinned. "Let me guess. All black?"  
"Nope."

I pretended to fall off of my chair in surprise.  
"What? The almighty dark-and-silent Fang is going to wear something other than black in _public_?"

He punched me on the arm gently.

"Shut up."

I socked him back, smirking.

"Seriously, though, who took over your mind?"  
He looked down, and I would almost swear he was embarrassed.

_Nah._

"Dr. Martinez said I had to get some colored shirts."

"What colors?"

"Uh, navy blue, dark green, grey, dark brown."

"Awww, come on, that barely counts."

He just smirked, his word quota apparently used up for a while.

_I hate him sometimes. _

_You do not, Max. You would never hate your flock. _ The Voice (aka Jeb) jumped in.

My back stiffened instinctively. Even though Jeb had 'explained' all of the things that he had done, I still didn't trust him.

"_You got that right. I would never betray them, either."_ I thought back pointedly.

I could feel him sigh, and narrowed my eyes._ What, you don't believe me, Jeb?  
_There was silence for a long time, then:  
_This isn't Jeb, Maximum._

I swear my heart stopped then.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I quickly attempted to recover my composure, and succeeded fairly well.

"_Fine. Who is it then?"_

_The Director – your mother, Max. _ It said.

"_Ok, I'm feeling a definite sense of déjà vu here; we already went over this, and I already shot down any dreams you had of trying to be maternal." _I shot back.

_Max,_ the Director said reprovingly.

A sharp pain struck my temple, and I flinched.

I became dimly aware of someone shouting my name, and looked up.  
Fang was crouching in front of where I sat on the bench, trying to get my attention. He sat back when he saw my eyes focus, and put his hands on his knees.  
"Max, what the heck is going on? I've been trying to get your attention for five minutes!"

"Um, Voice. I mean, no, it's not _Jeb_, but she's trying to talk to me – yes, it _is _the Voice." I rambled, not really paying attention.

"Max, you're not making sense," he said in concern.

I raised my hand to stop him. "Give me a few minutes – I'll explain then."  
He sighed in exasperation, he hated waiting.

I returned to the conversation in my head.

"_So, where were we… oh, yeah, I remember! We were at the part where you try to make me come back to the School so you can kill me, and I tell you there's absolutely no way that's ever going to happen!" _ I stated triumphantly.

_You are half right – you made one crucial mistake, though: you will come back to the School._

"_Yeah, and Fang's going to start wearing pink and singing Little Bunny Foo-Foo."_

_There is no need for sarcasm, Max. _The Director was getting audibly angry, and I grinned, although the angrier she got, the worse my headache got.

"_And why not? Just because you're totally incapable of making a joke or using sarcasm doesn't mean you have to dampen my spirits!"_

I flinched again, she was getting _mad_. I grinned wolfishly to myself, shutting out the throbbing.

"_And just so you know, what I said earlier about never betraying my Flock totally applies to this situation. I'm never, ever going to come back to your vile School and leave them behind-"  
Max-_

"_-because they are a million times better then anyone you could cross breed in your dumb labs! Plus, Iggy can make some mean pancakes," _ I added.

The Director shrieked in anger, resulting in waves of pain radiating through my skull. I gritted my teeth, satisfied in the knowledge that I could still get under her skin.

Fang –

"Aww, come on, that barely counts." Max grinned at me.

I just smirked, knowing that she hated it when I didn't reply. Sure enough, she frowned, then her eyes unfocused and her back stiffened until it was ramrod straight.

Her eyes narrowed, and her fists clenched tightly.  
"Max. What's going on?"

She appeared not to have heard me, so I assumed Jeb talking to her.

I started to get worried when her eyes widened and she slumped back against the wall.

"Max?"  
She sat back up, looking defiant. Her mouth moved silently, then she flinched, only her facial muscles moving. The rest of her body was as tense as a rope.

I crouched in front of her, shaking her shoulders and calling her name. "Max! MAX! Come on, you idiot, snap out of it. Max!"

Her brilliant brown eyes, which had been looking dazedly into the distance, focused on me, and I sat back on my heels. Trying not to show my relief and concern, I asked, "Max, what the heck is going on? I've been trying to get your attention for five minutes!"

Ok, so slight exaggeration.

"Um, Voice. I mean, no, it's not _Jeb_, but she's trying to talk to me – yes, it _is _the Voice." She rambled, and I could tell she wasn't focusing on me.

"Max, you're not making sense,"

"Give me a few minutes – I'll explain then."

I almost groaned in frustration, but checked myself and sighed instead. I absolutely _hated_ waiting for important things, especially if they concerned Max.  
She looked back into the distance, a concentrated expression on her face. It was rather interesting watching her facial expressions changing – I saw concentration, then triumph, then amusement.

"Yeah, and Fang's going to start wearing pink and singing Little Bunny Foo-Foo."

I started, almost falling over.

_Whaaat?_

I didn't think she meant to say it out loud. I shook my head and chuckled. Oh, what I would give to know what was going through her head when she said it.

I could tell she was in pain, which worried me. She didn't seem all that bothered though, she actually looked pleased.  
_She's goading them,_ I realized with a start. Whoever (or whatever) was talking to her, she was purposely pushing their patience.

_Max, you idiot. _This was probably up in the top ten of the "Dumb things Max has done" list.

I shook my head.  
_And I would do exactly the same thing, _I admitted grudgingly.

Max grinned ferociously. _Defying the pain,_ I guessed. I watched her jaw tighten slowly until a knot of muscle was clearly visible.

"Max, you moron," I said out loud, trying to hide my anxiety.

Suddenly her eyes flashed in triumph, then she groaned. She slumped back against the wall behind her, sweat breaking out on her forehead. Her eyes had slid closed, and she was breathing quickly.

"Max!" I jumped up, and wiped the sweat from her forehead, sitting beside her. Her eyelids fluttered, and she cracked them open.  
"Headache." She mumbled.

"Yeah, cause you were dumb enough to make them mad," I grumbled.

She grinned faintly, closing her eyes again.

I touched her temple carefully with my fore- and middle fingers, rubbing gently. She leaned into my hand in a very un-Max-like way, making a soft sound of content.

"Does that help the headache?" I asked quietly so as not to agitate her aching mind.

"Not really, but oh man does it feel good," she sighed.

I pulled my hand back, much to her reluctance, and stood up. "We have to go find Dr. Martinez and the Flock," I reminded her. "They're probably wondering where we are."

"Drat, I forgot." Max struggled to her feet, looking around dizzily. I took her elbow, steering her in the right direction.

We arrived at where the Flock were still trying on clothes a few minutes later.

"Max! Fang! Where have you two been?" Dr. Martinez asked. "Wait, Max?"

"I'm taking her home," I said shortly. "She's not feeling well."

Iggy dropped his bag in the shopping cart with his usual accuracy. "I'll come with you; I was done anyway."

I nodded to Dr. Martinez and steered Max toward the door with Iggy beside me.

"I hate this," Max muttered. "My eyes just won't keep up with my brain, making it impossible to walk."

I chuckled at her description, stopping before we crossed the street.

"Not many people can keep up with your brain, Max."

"So what's wrong, anyway?" Iggy asked, walking across the street quickly.

I glared at a guy who was looking at Max with a funny expression till he backed off.  
"I don't really know other than she was talking to someone in her head, made them mad, and got a huge headache as a result of it."

Max stumbled, grabbing my arm for support. "I'll tell you about it when my brain decides to stop imitating scrambled eggs," she grumbled.

Iggy laughed. "At least she still has a sense of humor."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Iggy and I walked Max up to her room in the attic, where she went in and collapsed on her bed with a sigh. Iggy went and got her a glass of water, which she sucked down gratefully. She sat up, already looking a lot better.

"So what was that about?" Iggy asked finally.

"The Voice started talking to me, but it wasn't Jeb." Max started. "It was the Director lady. We exchanged insults about motherhood, then she finally got down to business. She wanted me to go to the School."  
Max laughed bitterly. "I told her no. She started getting mad, which causes the headache. Then she told me I _was _ going to the school. I was being sarcastic and said, 'Yeah, and Fang's going to start wearing pink and singing Little Bunny Foo-Foo."

Iggy snorted. I glared at him.

"Sorry, mental picture."

"Yeah, I heard you say that," I said dryly.

She flushed. "I said it out loud?"

I smirked. "Unfortunately. I thought you were going crazy. Well, even more crazy."

"She socked me on the arm. "Shut up and let me talk. So, we ended up bickering for a while, her getting madder and madder, and me egging her on. I told her I would never betray the Flock because you're so much better than any of the people at the School."

Max ginned. "I also recommended your pancakes, Iggy."

Iggy got up and gave a mock bow. "Thank you, thank you, thank you very much. I know I'm amazing," he grinned.

Max high-fived him and continued. "So, she got really really mad, and apparently she kinda made my headache explode. Not like a brain explosion, it just hurt more than a normal headache. You know the rest."

I fiddled with the comforter on Max's bed. "Anything you need?"

She shook her head. "Nope, I'm good. A little sleep, maybe."

I got up to leave. "We'll let you sleep then."  
Iggy left, and I was about to follow him when I heard Max. "Hey, Fang?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Thanks. For everything."

I turned around and grinned at her, watching her flush.

"Hey, no problem. What else am I here for?"

She smiled and threw a pillow playfully at me.  
"Skedaddle and let me sleep, Superman."  
I chuckled as I walked out the door.  
"Superman. I like it." 


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N - Time skip! Monday morning.**

"Max. _Max._ Max! Get up!"

I forced open my eyes and sat up so fast I conked heads with Dr. Martinez.

"Mom! Geez. Now everyone's going to think I'm _normally_ cross-eyed. Why'd you wake me up?"

Dr. Martinez rubbed her forehead ruefully. "At least you don't have to operate with a headache. School today, remember?"

_Oh yeah. Back to the realms of the headhunters. _

"Others up yet?" I asked, pulling on a pair of baggy sweatpants and tank top.

For you prissies out there shrieking at my choice of clothes, I _am _going to change before school, don't worry.

"No, I figured you'd want to wake them up."

I smiled, pleased. See, this was the kind of mom I want. She actually _knows_ me.

"You got that right. Lead the way, mother dearest."

Dr. Martinez smiled happily at me and headed down the creaky steps with me in close second.

Mom went straight to the kitchen.

"Hey, mom, make _lots_ of food. It's the first day of school, we need brain food!" I called after her.

I turned and headed off to wake up the kids. I raised my arm to knock on Fang's door.

"Fang, you need to –" I stopped short as the door flew open. My arm dropped back to my side.

"Well, look who's Mr. Bright and early."

He smirked at me, coming out and shutting the door.

"Well, look who isn't." His eyes flickered up and down. "Nice outfit." 

"Shut up. Help me wake up the kids, will you? I got Igg and the Gasman, you got Angel and Nudge."

He stepped forward until we were face to face. I had to look up to stare him in the eyes as he looked down at me.

"And what if I don't?" he breathed.

"You will."

"Says who?"

"Supergirl." I grinned, and shoved him away. "Besides, Mom's making breakfast, but I can always tell her you're not hungry…"

I laughed at his expression as he groaned. "Come on, Max. No fighting dirty."

"Just go wake the girls, will you?"

I quietly opened the door to the lair of our resident pyromaniacs, creeping in as silently as Iggy when he was trying to nick my Max card.

I hovered over Gazzy's bed.

_Aww._

He was all tangled up in his blankets, his blonde hair sticking up. He was almost too cute to wake up.

_Almost._ I grinned evilly and pounced.

"Up an' at 'em!" My fingers tickled his sides mercilessly.

Gazzy giggled, squirming as he attempted to drag himself out of his blankets.

"Morning Max!" 

I hugged him fondly, ruffling his hair.

"Morning, bucko. Get dressed, breakfast in ten."

I shook my head at the hyperness of young kids early in the morning. Have they no sense?

"Igg. Up. Now."

Iggy rolled over with a grunt. "Mmm, warm bed, not gettin' up."

"Fine, I guess you don't want to go to school and meet all the new girls…"

That got him up.

"Max, you're horrible sometimes, did you know that?"

I grinned. "Yeah."

Iggy groaned as he pulled on a hoodie, his hair sticking straight up. "Hey, there's one perk to being blind."

"What's that?" 

"I don't have to open my eyes if I'm tired – I can leave them glued shut all day and no one would notice!"

"Move it, wise guy." I shoved him out the door in front of me.

"Fang, d'you know what –" My shout was cut off by a hand over my mouth.

"Now Max, I know you're dependant on me, but you could have just come over and talked instead of yelling for me."

My eyes narrowed over his hand.

I stepped on his foot, spinning on his toe and grabbing him in a headlock.

"First of all, that's what _you_ think, slimeball. Second of all, you _really_ need to stop cutting me off. Third, next time, I'm going to bite you. Got it?"

He freed himself easily, walking to the kitchen. "Iggy, you might want to watch out – Max is in a violent mood today."

"What's new?" Iggy called back jokingly.

_Those guys._

I shook my head and headed upstairs to change.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"So what are we doing here again?" 

I picked up Angel and shrugged at Gazzy.

"School." 

"No, I mean why are we _here?_ "

Oh.

I looked around at the corner we were standing on, backpacks on, dressed nicely (for us) ready to get on a smelly, claustrophobic _vehicle_ packed to the brim with snot-nosed know-it-alls who have been going to school since they were 1.36 years old.

"Um, school bus, Gazzy."

"Right."

I looked around at my flock. Angel, my little baby, lived up to her name with her golden curls floating around her face. She wore an adorable pink shirt with jeans.

Nudge was wearing purple (of course), Gazzy had on tan cargo pants and a button up shirt. His hair was spiked up straight. Iggy had on his usual jeans and long sleeves pushed up to his elbows.

Fang was wearing blue jeans and a forest green T-shirt under a black hoodie.

I had on a pair of washed out blue jeans, sneakers, and a gray hoodie.

All in all, we didn't look too scruffy. I had made them all buy some sort of backpack – I just carried a huge side-bag that I could fit my books in.

"Here it comes."

Huh? Oh. The yellow thing of doom.

We all filed onto the bus, me taking the lead. I dropped into a seat with a sigh, motioning for the others to sit down. Fang sat next to me.

I pulled me knees up and pressed them into the seat ahead of me, looking out the window. Fang shot me a curious glance.

"What's wrong?"

"Huh?"

"What's wrong?" He asked again patiently. "You're quiet."

I shrugged. "Nothing. Just tired."

He looked at me sharply. "Did you sleep?"

"Yes, father, I slept."

He studied my face carefully. "How much?" 

I leaned my head against the window. "Two hours, nosy."

Fang shook his head in exasperation. "Max, not even freaks can run on next to no sleep when they're nervous."

"Says who I'm nervous?" 

Fang ignored me, pulling off his hoodie and rolling it up on his shoulder.

"There. Sleep. We have half an hour before we get to school."

I consented, knowing what he said made sense. I placed my head on his strong shoulder, dozing lightly.

Fang POV –

Max slept quietly on my shoulder, listening to me for once. Angel looked over at me, giggling at us.

I mock glared at her, and put a finger up to my lips with a small grin.

_Keep quiet if you can, Max needs to sleep._

Angel nodded. _I will, but you none of the other kids are going to stay quiet._

_Oh yeah._

I looked around at the bus. Nudge and Iggy were sitting together, talking quietly. Angel was sitting with another little girl her age, and Gazzy was in an animated conversation with another adoring nine-year-old girl. I grinned.

_Quite the ladies man._

There were a whole lot of other kids on the bus, ranging from five or six years old to seventeen or eighteen. Most of the younger kids looked excited, while the older ones just looked plain bored.

Great.

We pulled up in front of what I assumed was the school, and I gently shook Max awake.

"Max. School." I smirked to myself at her drowsy eyes as she stretched and grabbed her backpack.

"Ok, guys. Sam names as last time – last names on your papers. None of us are siblings except Angel and the Gasman, so we're just friends, got it?"

I listened quietly to the run-down.

"Igg, you and Fang and I are in the same grade and we have most of our classes together, so you'll be fine. Gazzy, Nudge, they put you in the same grade even though Nudge's older. Angel, baby, you're on your own." 

Angel smiled sweetly at Max. "That's ok, Max, I can take care of myself."

Max ruffled her hair and grinned. "I know, sweetie." 

We filed off the bus, and Max squeezed in her last words. "Gazz, be good, no bombs, you know the drill. Igg, same thing, but I'll be with you so it doesn't matter. Nudge, no talking too much, be yourself. Angel, just be careful. And don't use your gifts either. Go ahead, guys, the elementary school's on that side of the building."

**A/N – It's a two in one building – Elementary/Middle school on one side, and High School on the other.**

The younger three scampered off, talking excitedly.

Iggy discreetly took hold of the strap of Max's bag, turning his milky blue eyes toward me with a grin. "Why doesn't Fang get any instructions?"

I punched him lightly on the shoulder. "'Cause I'm good, doofus."

Max smiled as we headed into the building. "No, 'cause he knows I'll beat him up right away if he's bad."

I snorted in disbelief. "Yeah right." 

"Hey!" 

"I'll help you, Max!" Iggy struck a heroic pose, almost colliding with another kid.

I cracked up. "Blind guy to the rescue!"

"Hey, at least I'm cute!" he protested.

"Glad you think so." 

"Not much better, are you, Zorro?" Iggy shot back, referring to my love of dark colors.

Max chuckled at our version of stress-relief. "All right, Comedy Central, knock it off. We have to find the office."

"Yippee."

**A/N – Hope you liked! Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Max POV –

I tapped my desk impatiently with my pencil. How much longer can this guy talk? I shot an exasperated glance at Fang, who merely glanced back with a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"…and furthermore…"

Geez.

At the moment we were in science class, and bored out of our freakishly-altered-minds. Fang, Iggy and I had this class together.

"Erm, well, ahem. Yes, um, today we will be studying the, er, process of osmosis – uh, yes, Mr. Griffiths?" Iggy had his hand in the air.

"Um, sorry to interrupt," Iggy started. "But I think I've heard of that before…"

The man looked faintly impressed as he straightened his tie.

"Er, really, well, do tell."

Iggy sat back in his seat and ran a hand through his unruly strawberry blonde hair.

"Hmm, osmosis. Oh, wasn't… wasn't that the guy that led the Israelites down the Yellow Brick Road?"

**A/N – I don't take credit for this one, sadly.. My sister's chem teacher said it!**

Fang and I snickered as the class burst into surprised laughter. Mr. Slack-jaw-down-front seemed slightly… _perplexed_.

I shook my head, and scribbled a note on a slip of paper and passed it to Fang, who sat to my left.

_He strikes again. Haha. Ok, as funny as that was, he's going to get it as soon as this class is over._

Fang shot me a white grin, and I blushed slightly, looking forward. I stared blankly down at my notebook as I tapped my pencil on the desk. I jumped slightly as the note landed back on my notebook.

_I'll help. I have math next – you?_

I passed it back after quickly writing my reply.

_Gym_.

I saw him frown slightly out of the corner of my eye.

_Crap. I wanted to have gym with you._

_Why, so you could beat me in everything? _

_No, so I could make sure you were ok._

I stared at the paper in my hands. Wow. I do have an overprotective-older-brother-type-figure.

Ha.

_Not._

Iggy, who was sitting on my right, quickly jolted me out of my reverie with a poke.

"Max. Pay attention. He's giving notes." He hissed.

I sighed and returned my attention to the blank sheet in front of me.

1.– I wrote – _You know you're going crazy when a blind guy tells you that you should be taking notes._

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I carefully slipped into the extra clothes I'd brought for gym, and stepped into the huge too-bright room. All of the other kids were standing around talking. I spied a familiar face in the crowd and made a beeline for her.

"Ella!"

Ella's face lit up. "Max! Oh, good, you're in my class!"

I nodded, and tilted my chin toward a big, bald guy with a nose that looked like it had been broken more than once. "That the head honcho?"

"Yeah – just call him Coach."

"What's he coach?" I asked as we headed over to the man.

"Everything," Ella laughed. "But mostly soccer. Speaking of which, we get to play on the field for class today!"

I shoved her lightly. "Don't sound so excited, goofball. You have to stay back and teach me."

Ella laughed.

"Ok, everybody bring it in!

We 'brought it in.'

"Chris, Alex, start picking teams. Once teams are established, head on down to the field. Let the games begin!"

We all cheered accordingly, albeit I had no idea what was going on.

Two tall, tan, and obviously athletic teen boys began calling out names. One was blonde, and had a shark's tooth necklace around his neck. The other was darkly handsome, with deep black eyes and dark skin that reminded me strangely of Fang. Ella nudged me, "The blonde one's Chris, the dark one's Alex. Stay away from Chris, he's bad news." She had no comment about Alex, and as I looked at her she wouldn't meet my eyes.

Ella and I both ended up on Alex's team, I'm guessing through some nudging from Ella who was picked first.

We walked to the field, listening to Alex lay out the plan. "Ok, Ella, you and.." he flushed, not knowing my name.

"Max," I supplied.

"You and Max can play defense until you're more comfortable. If you want to switch, just tell me."

"Sounds great," Ella agreed.

"Awesome!" Alex enthused. He headed off to tell the other players their positions, calling over his shoulder, "Max, don't let Ella cream the other team too bad!"

"I won't," I replied, smiling mischievously at Ella. A faint blush had risen on her cheekbones.

"So… Alex, huh?" I grinned at her.

"Shut up." She shot back sheepishly.

"So whatever happened to this Shaw kid?"

"Shaw? Jeez, Max, that was like, last year!"

I rolled my eyes at her.

We walked onto the field, and took up our positions. Coach gave Alex and Chris the ball, and the game began.

I stayed on my side, watching carefully. After I got the gist of the game, and most of the rules, I relaxed. I watched Alex running smoothly, the ball a short distance in front of his feet. He skillfully eluded the other team's defense, passing the ball to a pretty girl with her blonde hair in a long braid. She brought her foot back, and wham, we had a goal. Alex and the girl ran back to our side triumphantly, hands in the air. Alex headed straight for Ella, I noticed with a smirk.

"You're Max, right? Ella's friend?" The girl with the braid was standing next to me.

"Yeah," I answered, not knowing whether we were known as sisters here.

"I'm Kelly. Do you want to trade spots? Someone traded with Ella, and you probably want to stay with her."

I shrugged. "Sure, doesn't look too hard."

Kelly laughed, "No, not too hard."

We switched, and I ran to join Ella as the ball rolled back into play.

Ella passed me the ball, and I stopped it with my foot, then started forward.

_Hey, this isn't so hard,_ I thought. I saw a guy that looked like he was going to try to steal the ball, and I swerved around him. I pulled my foot back and was about to pass it to Ella when a huge weight slammed into me, knocking me to the ground. I looked up, and Chris was standing above me.

He shrugged. "Oops."

Deftly snagging the ball with his foot, he boosted it across my torso. He jumped across after it, purposely digging the spikes of his cleats into my arm. I flinched, still winded. Suddenly Ella was above me, pulling me up. "Max, are you ok?"

I nodded, and then Alex was there, his dark eyes looking ashamed. "Hey, I'm sorry about that. You ok?"

Once everyone was assured I was fine, I glared down the field at the bobbing blond head.

"Alright, that punk is asking for it."

Alex grinned at Ella and me, agreeing. "Don't hurt him too badly."

We started jogging back into position. I was still grumbling under my breath. "Hurt him too badly? Stupid, egotistical, male, macho,_blond_…"

I took off running, listening to Ella giggle behind me, obviously having heard my rant.

I trained my eyes on my prey.

_Opponent. Dang._

I trained my eyes on my _opponent_.

I was slowly bearing down on him as he raced toward our goal. I came up beside him and pretended to slip, taking him out at the ankles.

"Oops." I shot him an unholy grin and passed the ball to Alex.

_Man, just looking at the mud on his face was worth it._

**Ok, so I know it was short, and kinda crappy. I'm working on it though!! Stick with me!**


	4. Chapter 4

Ok, so I got some definite good vibes out of the beginning of the soccer thing. Um, to Makmay04, I agree! Max and baseball don't mix. So, I picked soccer! I hope you like this chapter as much!

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I walked into my next class grumpily, still scowling. I saw Fang's eyebrows shoot up at my expression, and he wordlessly made room as I slammed my books down onto our table.

"Bad class?"

"Bad blond jerk."

His jaw clenched. "What happened?"

"Some dumb jock practically body slammed me playing soccer and "cleated" me as Ella said."

He quickly scanned my body for injuries.

"He hurt you?"

"No. Just a bruise." I could tell Fang had murder on his mind. "Fang. Chill. I'm just mad."

He wasn't convinced, but luckily for me the late bell rang. Fang gave me one last look and turned to face the teacher.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"So, how was the first day of school?" Dr. Martinez asked cheerily.

The kids immediately started spouting about their classes, crazy science teachers, and new friends that they'd made, while Fang, Iggy and I sat in silence.

"Max, Fang, Iggy, how about you?" (We had told her our names.)

So much for that.

"Fine." We grinned at each other as we all answered in unison.

"Max had fun in gym," Ella piped up.

I groaned. "It was fine." I took the chance to razz Ella a little bit. "There's this awesome kid named Alex in our class." Ella and I exchanged smirks.

I didn't notice Fang's eyebrows draw together, and turn to look out the window.

We all piled out of the car (Dr. Martinez had picked us up as a first day treat) and into the house. I hung my jacket up like any good child, and flopped full out on the couch. The rest of the flock plus Ella followed, and there was an immediate scramble for the seats left over. I watched with amusement.

"Aww, Fang, did you lose musical chairs?"

He glared at me. I rolled my eyes and lifted my legs from the bottom half of the couch, holding them in the air.

"Sit. Just because I feel bad for you." Fang rolled his eyes, but sat. I put my feet flat on the couch next to his legs, my knees bent.

I shut my eyes and listened to the kids chatter, glad that they were happy.

The shrill ring of the phone destroyed my peace. Ella grabbed it before anyone else could make a move.

"Hello? Oh, hi." Ella shot me a grin and wink and left the room. I smirked to myself. _Alex. _I let my eyes drift shut again.

"Max!" Ella poked me in the shoulder. "He wants to talk to you!"

I raised my eyebrows at her and she shrugged. I grabbed the phone and held it to my ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, Max, it's Alex."

"Hey," I replied, leaving the room so that we could talk.

"Are you ok? Chris didn't hurt you, did he?"

"Nope, I'm still kicking."

"Speaking of which…"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I reentered the room in a daze. I collapsed back into my spot on the couch, still in shock.

"Well, what did he want?" Ella pressed.

"He wants me to join the soccer team."

Silence.

"Well," Angel's practical voice cut in. "You'd be good at it."

"And it's not like you can't take training or anything." Ella added.

"Yeah."  
Iggy folded his arms and snorted. "That's one thing I'd like to see," he chuckled. "Max playing soccer."

I bristled. "And why is that? You think I'd be bad at it?"

He smoothed his hands in a placating manner. "No, no, I just mean that you'd be slightly out of your element."

"Out of my_element?_"

"I agree with Iggy." The Gasman put in, slightly reluctant to share his opinion lest he face my wrath. "You'd have to try not to beat them up when you got mad."

I gaped.

"Well, I'm glad you have so much respect for my self control."

I got up, ready to storm out of the room dramatically. Unfortunately for drama-queen-max, Fang grabbed my shoulder and jerked me back down.

"Wait just a minute. Are you actually considering joining the team?"

"Uh, yeah…" I looked at him uncomprehendingly.

"Why?"

"…because I think it sounds like fun, and it's a good way to stay in shape?"

Fang frowned. "It's not because of that kid?"

"_What?"_

He shook his head. "We can talk about it later."

By now I was thoroughly confused. I shook my head, and walked up the steps to my room in the attic.

Review!


	5. Chapter 5

This is for acavoo, because she was the one who motivated me into writing_ something_ for you awesome people out there. I'm seriously not happy with this chapter - I don't like it very much. For you though, my dearest people, I put it up.

* * *

I sighed. I was sitting in my room, bored out of my skull. 

_I could do my homework, _I speculated idly.

_Nah._

With a slight grin, I collapsed back onto my soft bed and pulled my pillow over my face.

_Mmm, smells good. _I inhaled again. _Like laundry soap._

Suddenly there were three light raps on the door. "Max?" Fang called.

"Yeah," I answered, not removing the pillow from my face.

The door opened and closed, and I could feel Fang's eyes on me.

"Max?"

"Hm?" I grunted, my voice muffled by the fabric.

"Why do you have a pillow on your face?" I could hear the amusement in his voice.

I pulled it off, glaring at him. "Maybe I _like_ pillows."

Fang chuckled and sat on the bed beside me. I gave in and resorted to hugging the pillow.

We sat there for a few minutes in a comfortable silence, and then Fang uncharacteristically broke it.

"So, soccer, huh?"

I studied him as I answered, leaning the side of my head on the pillow that cushioned my knees.

"Yeah. It's fun. You should try it sometime."  
Fang snorted. "I don't think so. I don't deal with dumb jocks who think they know everything. Not counting you and Ella," he amended as I bristled indignantly.

"Or Alex," I added.

"Who is this Alex kid?" Fang asked, his mouth twisting unconsciously at the name.  
"He's really nice," I admonished him quietly. "He helped me after Chris plowed me down."

Fang glowered at the door, apparently still mad about that. "_Chris_. Well, now at least I know his name."  
I glared at him warningly. "Don't even think about it."  
"What?"

I did _not_ fall for the innocent act. "_Anything._ Just don't. And lay off of Alex, too."

Fang looked injured. "I didn't do anything!"

"Yeah well."

I thought about Alex and Ella's interaction, and grinned to myself. Fang noticed and shot me a curious glance out of the side of his eye.

"What?"

I chuckled. "Just thinking about Alex and Ella."  
"Alex… and Ella?" he sounded confused.

"Yes, Einstein, Alex and Ella." I shoved his shoulder lightly to take the sting out of the words.

Fang's expression suddenly changed as my meaning dawned on him. "Oh."

A flash of something I couldn't name flitted across his face. Finally he sat back against my headboard, wearing an expression of contentment.

_What on Earth…oh._

"Fang… were you _jealous_?" I asked incredulously.

"No." he answered me, looking affronted. "Why would I be jealous of you?"

I grinned sardonically. "You, my friend, are a _liar._" I poked him in the side for emphasis every word. "Liar, liar, liar."

I could swear that the backs of his ears were turning red.

He caught my wrist to stop me, holding it in an iron grip. "Now, Max." he said mock sternly. A dangerous looking gleam jumped into his eyes, and I laughed.  
A pillow smacked me in the head with an audible_whoomph._

I shrieked with laughter, retaliating quickly. Fang's deep chuckles filled the room as we fought.

"_Hey_!" Iggy's voice floated up from downstairs. "If you two crazy people won't shut up so that I can concentrate, I'll have to come up there!"

Fang and I grinned, grabbed a pillow each, and headed for the stairs.

* * *

The rest of the week dragged by in the typical school time-warp, with nothing much interesting happening. Every day, Alex and Ella both bugged me about joining the soccer team, and every day I told them I had to think about it. 

On Friday, as Fang and I walked down the halls, Alex practically side-swiped me.

"Max! There you are," he grinned, winking at Fang. (Ever since Fang had gotten mostly over his "jealousy" the two had come to an agreement of sorts.) "Now, you aren't getting out of this one. Ella and I signed you up for the soccer team, with the express permission of Dr. Martinez and Nick here. So, here's your uniform," he shoved it into my hands, "here's your cleats, -they went on top- "and here's your practice ball!"

I nearly dropped the whole armload, but luckily Fang grabbed the ball to relieve me. I tried to get a word in, but Alex talked right over me. "First practice tomorrow at 3 o'clock sharp, don't be late. Drat!" He exclaimed suddenly. "I'm supposed to meet Ella in…" he glanced at his watch, which was upside down on his wrist. "…two minutes. So, don't be late for class, eat lots of spaghetti, and_don't_ break a leg, preferably."

My mouth hanging open at his little speech, I stared at Alex as he shot me a grin, clapped Fang on the shoulder, and sped off down the hall.

Once I could close my mouth, I exploded. "What the _heck_ is _wrong_ with that kid? Who put sugar on _his_Wheaties?"

Fang's shoulders were shaking with mirth, but he made a smoothing motion with his free hand.

"It made sense, believe me. You just had to pay close attention."

I glared at him irritably over the huge pile in my arms. "Care to enlighten?"

"Ok. The 'don't be late for class' is obvious – you're not allowed to play if the teachers think you're doing badly in classes. He told you to eat spaghetti because noodles are carbohydrates, and they're supposed to be a quick energy source – good for sports. Last, of course you don't want to break a leg right before soccer seasons starts." He explained easily.

I just looked at him and shook my head.

"When did you learn how to translate crazy-talk?"

A corner of his mouth twitched with amusement, and he took advantage of my full arms to ruffle my hair lightly. "Listening to you too long."

"So, do you really want me to play?" I asked him quietly.

After a moment of consideration, he nodded. "Sure. If you want to, then I want you to. I _don't_, however," Fang grinned, "have to lay off that Chris kid if he does anything to you now. I got Alex's permission."

I bared my teeth at him jokingly. "Come on, wise guy." I rolled my eyes and headed off to the last class of the day.

* * *

Review! 


	6. Chapter 6

OK, so I'm back! Sorry for the slow updates - writer's block. You know how it goes. This is pretty much a filler chapter.. because I have absolutely no clue where the heck a lot of this is going. So.. yeah. I hope you like boring fluff :)

* * *

Tires screeching and music thumping, Alex pulled up to the Martinez's house in his red car. Ella scrambled out from the front seat, and I followed quickly, grabbing my backpack and slinging it over my shoulder. 

"See ya on Monday, darlins!" Alex called with a grin. Ella and I waved as he left. I felt like a real soccer player now, with my new green and white jersey, shorts, knee-high socks and cleats. My hair was pulled back into a ponytail, but brown wisps fell into my eyes and stuck to my sweaty forehead.

"Now, that wasn't so bad for a first practice, was it?" Ella asked as we trotted up the front steps.

"Nope," I consented. "I guess I'll survive the season." I grinned. As we clattered in the front door, we were met with enthusiastic yells.

"Max! Ella! How did it go?"

"You look sweaty, was it hard?"

"When's the next practice?"

"_Finally_, let's eat before I die of starvation!"

I smacked Iggy lightly on the back of his head for the last comment. Ella and I dropped our backpacks onto the floor by the door, and took our places at the table.

As I listened to the animated chatter, I ate my meal hungrily.

"Mmm, Mom, awesome spread as usual."

Dr. Martinez smiled with pleasure. "Thank you, Max."

Fang ate his meal silently, not joining in the conversation.

I caught his eye swiftly, and he paused in his eating. He raised one dark eyebrow questioningly, and tipped his head toward the door._ How did it go?_

I shrugged slightly with a grin. _OK, I guess._

Fang nodded his acknowledgment and returned his attention to eating his food.

* * *

Book, notebook, and pencil in hand, I rapped on Fang's door. "Hey, can I come in?" 

I heard muffled voices from behind the door, then footsteps. Iggy opened the door with a smirk.

"Come for help from the math geneii?"

"That would be_ geniuses_, genius." I didn't even bother asking how he knew. "And yes. Math has conquered me."

Iggy held the door open for me with a mockingly elegant bow. "Then, fair mistress, you are welcome to my abode. Well," he considered, "Fang's room. I'm just intruding." He grinned mischievously at me as I rolled my eyes.

"Hey, Fang." I said casually. He was lying on his bed, one leg bent. His face was turned toward us, and a small grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Hey."

I collapsed into a chair, and opened my book with a sigh. "OK. I need help; my brain is all but pleading for mercy."

Fang rolled onto his side, and Iggy came over to pointlessly look over my shoulder. As I read the problem to him, he whistled under his breath. "Good grief, Max."

"I know, I know. Believe me."

I stared at the math until my eyes were going cross-eyed, and I chewed absentmindedly on the eraser of my pencil.

_This is _so_ not going to work._

Fang snorted with amusement, and rolled off of the bed. Taking pity on me, he took the book away from me and sat down on the floor.

"Did you pay attention in math at all?"

"Yes," I said indignantly. "The beginning and the end." I grinned impishly.

Fang rolled his eyes and Iggy started laughing. "Max, even _I _can tell you that that's not going to help," he said through his chuckles.

I glowered at him, and then my expression changed to puzzlement. "Iggy, why are you in Fang's room in the first place?"

Iggy sat on Fang's bed with his usual perfect aim. "We were talking. Guy time."

"What do guys talk about?" I asked.

Iggy laughed out loud. "There's a reason it's called _guy_ talk, Max. It's for guys. Not nosy little girls who need help with math homework!"

I scowled. "I'm not little. I could beat _you_ up any day, carrot top."

Iggy waved a hand dismissively and was about to retort when Fang interrupted.

"You two fight more than a married couple." He said, humor coloring his voice.

To my horror, I could feel my face getting hot. I smacked him on the bicep. "Shut up."

My notebook was shoved into my hands, and I glanced down. Every problem was filled in perfectly, in what appeared to by my own messy scrawl.

"You did my math homework for me?" I said incredulously. Then, the larger meaning set in.

"You can forge my _handwriting_?"

Fang smirked. "Call it talent."

"I cannot _believe _you! Who knows what you'll be doing next!" I ranted. "What if I got a checkbook someday? Would you forge my signature for that too?"

Fang cut me off by shoving his large hand over my mouth. "No," he said patiently, though his eyes reflected suppressed laughter. "I just know you better than anyone." His dark eyes softened slightly, and I could feel my anger draining away.

"_Aww_, now isn't that just sweet," Iggy smirked. "Get a room."

Fang and I punched his arms simultaneously.

* * *

I sighed. History, I have discovered, is _boring_. _Very_ boring. I stared blankly at the paper in front of me until the black letters began swimming in front of my eyes. 

I blinked._ That's odd_.

Idly I glanced around the room. My eyes rested on Fang, who looked just as bored as I did. He was right across the aisle from me, his tall, lean frame looking uncomfortably jammed into the small desk chair.

Fang's long legs stretched out on either side of his desk, the ripped bottoms of his dark jeans almost underneath his tennis shoes. He was wearing a black long-sleeved shirt with the top of a white undershirt showing at the neckline. He glanced back at me in exasperation, and shoved the sleeves up to his elbows roughly.

I rolled my eyes at him. A corner of his mouth twisted into a wry smile, and he focused back on the teacher.

The bell finally rang, and I gathered up my books in relief. Fang stood by my desk waiting for me, his notebook under his arm and pencil in his pocket.

"So, where to next?"

"Art." Fang's voice was slightly scathing.

"Oh, don't sound like that; we all know you're a good artist."

Fang rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Maybe, but I hate art class. We make like, paper flowers and stuff," he shuddered at the thought.

I laughed out loud at his expression. As we strode down the hall, I got some funny looks.

_What, never seen anyone laugh before? _I thought. _Huh, maybe not,_ I thought dryly. _The people here don't seem to have any sense of humor_.

Fang frowned and glared at the floor, his shoulders tensing.

"What?" I asked in concern.

"Nothing," he practically growled. "That kid was looking at you funny."

"OK," I said disbelievingly. "If he was, it was only because we're new. Besides, there are a lot of people looking at you too."

Fang looked startled and glanced around. The back of his neck began turning red, and he hastily looked down again.

"Art room," He mumbled and ducked in the door. I grinned to myself as I followed.

We dropped our stuff on the table, and glanced at the board.

_Draw a friend._

I sighed. I can't draw worth crap. Fang and I each grabbed a clean sheet of white paper from the middle of the table and looked at each other.

"I guess I'm drawing you?" I asked resignedly.

He nodded. "Same."

"Don't expect it to be good," I warned him. "It'll probably look like Total."

"Heaven forbid," he grinned.

As I drew, I found myself getting frustrated. I grunted, frowned, and erased furiously.

Fang looked up at me with amusement. "Problems?"

"No," I denied, "You just seem to have the most _un-drawable_ eyes in existence."

Fang grinned slightly and bent back over his paper. Every so often his dark eyes would flick up at me, memorize another detail, and focus on the paper again. The pencil looked strange in his strong hands to me, but he held it skillfully as it flew across the paper.

I glanced around at the classroom; the teacher was sitting at his desk, and the students were drawing away.

"Max?" Fang interrupted.

"Yeah," I turned back to him.

"You done yet?"

"Uh, yeah," I finished the last line, and studied it carefully.

_It's not too bad_, I thought, rather pleased with myself. I thought that I had captured him fairly well.

We swapped papers, and I flipped Fang's drawing over.

Slightly stunned, I glanced at him. He was studying my drawing, an unreadable expression on his face.

In his picture of me, I was sitting up against a tree, on watch. I looked in control, perfectly at ease, and slightly thoughtful, but I didn't think I looked like _me_. At least, that wasn't the face I saw in the mirror when I looked.

"Is this really what I look like?" I asked him in awe.

"Yep," he said absently as his eyes flickered over his form on the paper.

"Is it that bad?" I asked self-consciously, as he remained engrossed in my rough sketch.

"No," he said in surprise as he looked up at me. "It's good. Why do you tell us you're not good at drawing?"

I was at a slight loss for words. Fang's eyes went back to the picture, and his fingers lightly traced the outline of the charcoal black wings.

"Because I'm _not_," I said finally.

"I don't know," he mused. He folded the paper in half neatly and tucked it away carefully into his notebook.

"What?" he asked to my surprised expression. "Did you think I was going to throw it away?"

I nodded, truthfully.

His dark eyes scrutinized me for a moment, his brow creasing in a frown and his lips pursed.

"Hm." He finally said, and turned back to grab another sheet of paper to doodle on.

I sighed. _Well, what else would you expect from him?_

* * *

So, review and tell me how pointless that was, if you feel like it. Haha.. I know I'm kind of a pessimist. I kind of liked that art scene though. It was completely spontaneous. 


	7. Chapter 7

Hey.

Update! Finally! Woo! I know, I'm excited too.

* * *

I was the epitome of calmness. I was steady as a rock. I was like, _Zen._

I was bouncing up and down and feeling like I was going to throw up.

"Max. Chill out." Ella laughed, shaking her head at me.

I glared at her. "Chill out? _Chill out?_ I swear that other team has to be on steroids."

Alex grinned at me and tugged on my long hair teasingly. "I dunno, Max, I think you could take them."

"Huh," I considered, "I guess you're right." _You are Max. You are strong. You can _totally_ kick those punks' butts._

Suddenly I felt much better.

I yanked my jersey straight, tightened my ponytail, retied my shoes, spat out my gum, rolled my shoulders, and put on my best "you-die-now" face.

_Game on._

* * *

**Fang POV  
**

I slid into the bleachers, hauling Gazzy and Iggy away from the concession stand. "No. Food later." We all sat in a row, the Flock on the end and Dr. Martinez sandwiched in the middle.

I searched the sea of green and white jerseys for the familiar figure. She was stretching, and by the expression on her face I assumed that she was analyzing the other team. She glanced up, and our eyes met. I gave her a slight wink, knowing that she would see me. Max grinned back and rolled her eyes at Ella, who was never far from Alex's side on the field.

I sat back, reassured, ready for the game.

The entire Flock kept our eyes trained on Max as she streaked around the field.  
Suddenly the whistle screamed through the air, and I scanned the field again quickly. Max was just getting up from the ground, glaring at a kid on her team.

I frowned.

I scrutinized the guy again, and suddenly it clicked in my head. This was the blond kid. What was his name? Chris.

I glared at him from the bleachers, wishing that I could go down and beat him up.

The itching to be on the field grew as the game went on. Chris fouled or messed up Max every time she had the ball; whether it was an elbow in the gut, a sly trip, or just stealing the ball.

Finally the clock ran out.

_Other team – 2. Our team – 0._

_Great._

I went to the bottom of the bleachers to talk to Max.

"Hey."

"Hey," she replied. Her face and clothes were muddy, her long hair plastered to her neck. A characteristic 'Max frown' was on her face, and her slim shoulders were tense. "Did you see that game? It was awful! We didn't even score!"

"It's not your fault," I said calmly. "Blondie kept messing you up."

"Oh, I know," she ground out, her eyes furious. "And Alex is going to have a word with him about playing the next game."  
"Maybe _I_ should have a… word with him," I grinned.

"No."

I held up my hands in mock surrender. "Just trying to help."

* * *

**Max POV  
**

I stalked down the hall the day after the game, still in a foul mood. Someone stuck their arm out in front of me, blocking my path. I stopped, rolling my eyes. "What do _you_ want?"

Chris smirked at me. "Oh, nothing. Just wanted to congratulate you on losing the first game for us," he sneered.

"_I_ lost the game for you?" What I was losing was my temper. "_You_ were the one _blocking _me the whole time, and _you _are on my _team_!" I punctuated each stressed word with a poke to his chest.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Like heck you don't," I snarled back. "If you had any life at all, you wouldn't have had to make yourself feel better by bringing down the 'new girl', huh, punk?"

"What are you talking about?" Chris smiled sweetly. "You did that all by yourself."

I glared at him. "Really."

"Yep."

I shoved him hard in the chest; hard enough to make him slam into the wall.

"Well you can just back off," I snarled.

He stepped forward, fury in his eyes.

Suddenly, his arm pulled back, then flashed forward, fist clenched.

My head snapped to the side painfully. I felt the numbness that preceded pain spreading across my cheekbones. Without turning my head back, I closed my eyes for a moment, composing myself and taking a deep breath.

Slowly, I turned my head back to the front, my eyes opening again. I saw Chris panting in front of me, shaking out his hand. His eyes were cold with a grim sense of satisfaction.

My eyes narrowed.

Suddenly, a howl of rage split the air.

Skidding footsteps sounded behind me as Fang streaked down the hallway, shoving his way through the crowd. "Move! Get out of my way, dang it."

His books crashed to the ground as he dropped them heedlessly and slid to a stop beside me. His rough hands encompassed my face gently, long fingers probing the forming bruise.

"Did he hurt you?" Fang asked me, his eyes dangerous.

"F- Nick, I'm okay, honestly.."

"He hit you," He said, his voice flat.

"He's just a dumb kid, Nick," I tried to calm him. If Fang freaked out on Chris now, I don't know if I could pull the two apart.

Fang wasn't having any of that. He slowly spun on his heel to face the belligerent teenager standing cockily in front of him.

"You hit her," he repeated. His voice was deadly calm.

"She was asking for it."

"Oh, I doubt that," Fang chuckled humorlessly.

"What's it to you?"

I winced, closing my eyes for a second. I snapped them open again, unable to tear my eyes away.

Fang's dark eyes narrowed, hard as flint. In one quick movement, he had Chris by the front of his shirt and was pulling him up onto his tiptoes. Chris attempted a swing at Fang's head, but he swatted it away easily like it was a fly.

I stepped up quickly and put a hand on Fang's shoulder. "Nick. Drop the kid."

He shot me a quick glance, and I felt my heart clench at his murderous expression.

"Nick."

The tendons in his arms tensed, standing out like ropes. Finally his clenched fist loosed, and Chris crashed to the ground.

"Come on," I kept hold of his arm and started gathering his books up from the floor. I shoved them into his chest and he grabbed them reluctantly. His eyes were still black with fury.

As we started down the hall, the students parted easily in front of us, giving us a wide berth. Fang's walk was tense, his jaw clenched.

"Outside."

I pulled him through the door and to a bench. With one hand, I shoved his chest to make him sit. He didn't even move, but sat anyway with a sigh.

I paced back in forth in front of him.

"How's the cheek?" Fang asked quietly.

"Fine," I answered curtly.

"That punk is going to get it," Fang said, the calm tone of his voice belying the sincerity of the threat.

"Fang," I glanced around to see if there was anyone in earshot, "if you punched that kid, you would break his face. Literally."

Fang smiled fiercely. "What's the problem with that?"

I groaned. "I give up. Just please, please, don't do anything to get yourself – or the rest of the flock – into trouble."

* * *

I sat on the bus seat, tapping my pencil against my notebook anxiously.

_Fang, where are you?_

All of the rest of the kids were on the bus already, chattering together and hanging over the backs of the seats. School had been out for ten minutes, and almost everyone was out of the buildings. I checked my watch again impatiently.

With a sigh of relief I saw the familiar dark form loping easily toward the bus. Another kid that I didn't recognize from this distance sprinted toward one of the other buses. One of his arms was up and covering his face. I frowned.

_What's wrong with him?_

Fang stepped up onto the bus, one dark hand grazing the railing as he entered. His face was completely blank, his bag slung carelessly over one shoulder. He slid onto the seat next to me, and dropped his backpack on the floor.

"What took you so long?"

He shrugged his strong shoulders wordlessly. Crossing his arms and leaning back in his seat, a flicker of a grin twitched at the corner of Fang's lips.

My forehead creased as I looked him over.

Fang flexed his hand slightly, running his thumb over the knuckles. They were scraped and red.

My jaw dropped.

"Fang, you didn't…"

Fang glanced over at me innocently.

"What?"

* * *

Yay. That was fun. :D He had it coming to him.. And this is not the end. o.O

Read'n'review, my friends!


	8. Chapter 8

Guess what!!

THIS IS THE FAX CHAPTER! Woooooo!!

I am so excited.. I have been waiting for this chapter to be written for a long time. :D And I hope that you are excited too!

A billion, trillion thanks to **Nightwingstar **for being an awesome beta for this chapter; it wouldn't be nearly as good if it weren't for her!

* * *

I streaked across the field, dribbling the ball skillfully between my feet. With a quick side-glance, I faked to the left and sprang off to the right. I passed the ball to Alex, who immediately slammed it powerfully into the net.

"Good practice, kids. Grab your stuff, get out of here: there's a game tonight that I want to watch!" Coach roared good-naturedly.

Alex jogged up beside me, the sweaty tendrils of his dark hair sticking to his flushed face.

"Hey, tell Ella I'll pick her up at seven, ok?" he said with an impish grin.

I smirked at him. "Finally work up the courage to ask her out?"

"Yep," he laughed. "Now I just can't blow it."

"You won't."

He covered his eyes dramatically with his hands, faking disbelief. "You never know with me, Max."

"Get out of here," I said, shoving him playfully toward the locker rooms.

I slung my bag over my shoulder and trudged toward the parking lot where Dr. Martinez was waiting for me.

"Hey, honey, how was practice today? Ella was glad she didn't have to go because of her doctor's appointment."

"It was good," I replied. She glanced over at me, and I saw her frown slightly.

"What's that bruise on your face?"

I froze.

"Nothing much," I said carefully. It looked like she didn't believe me, but dropped it. I heaved a sigh of relief and leaned against the window as the street blurred by.

* * *

"Max, Ella and I are taking Gazzy, Angel, and Nudge to the store to get some school stuff that we forgot, do you want to come?" Dr. Martinez called up the steps to my attic.

"No," I hollered back. "What are we doing about supper?"

"I left some stuff for sandwiches on the counter, or you can go out to eat. There's a pizza place down the street."

"OK."

After hearing the door slam, I headed into the living room where Fang was watching TV and Iggy was snoring on the couch.

"What do you think; pizza or sandwiches?"

"Pizza. Definitely." He said, his dark eyes flicking up to look at mine.

"Sounds incredible to me," I admitted. "What about Iggy, though?" I nodded to the sleeping boy.

Fang grinned whitely. "You snooze, you lose."

I chuckled and headed for the stairs. "Meet you by the door in ten."

* * *

"Ready?" Fang was waiting for my on the steps, hands in his pockets.

"Let's roll." I cracked, leading the way down the street.

After a few minutes, I shook my head slightly. "This is kind of strange."

"What?" Fang' s brow furrowed.

"It only being us and not the rest of the flock."

His frown deepened.

"Is that bad?"

"No," I said hastily, "it's nice. It's just… different."

Fang nodded, the corner of his mouth lifting. "I know," he assured me.

We rounded the corner of the street to see a quaint little pizza shop with a red roof and booths inside. I was delighted, and smiled happily. "Looks great."

"Hurry up, I'm hungry," Fang complained jokingly, tugging teasingly on my sleeve.

"How old are we again?" I teased back, opening the door with a jingle.

He flashed a grin at me, and I had to look away quickly. We sat down at a booth and the waitress came shortly. When we had told her our orders (with some moderate surprise on her part) we sat back and relaxed.

I peered around the small restaurant, mentally filing minute details for future reference. I saw Fang doing the same, and we shared a laugh at the realization.

We sat and talked quietly about trivial things, just catching up. We were both relaxing into each other's presence, completely at ease. Fang said something that struck me as funny, and I sat back and laughed until tears came into my eyes as he chuckled at my hilarity.

I glanced up to meet Fang's eyes, still laughing. Slowly, the laughter left, and we sat there, just looking at each other. Why? I don't know and I don't really care. I shouldn't say that; his gaze had me in a trance, a trance that made me curious and at the same time so hesitant. He was too.

When he slowly reached out across the table I could see his hand shaking and could feel the minuscule vibrations when he intertwined his hand with mine. His calm gaze became uncertain after feeling me shake within his grasp. Then, the trance broke and I could breathe.

"That ok?" His brows furrowed as if trying to read my mind. I smiled at him, explaining that it was okay.

"I _guess_," I said sarcastically. He grinned at me, his toothy grin so wide that it made him look crazy. Obvious happiness swept over his face no matter how much he tried to hide it. Fang looked down at our meshed hands with wonder. What was he suddenly thinking? Or was he…

No. Fang couldn't be hiding a blush. Well, it's something that Fang _wouldn't_ do, not that he _couldn't._

The waitress came back suddenly with our food, looking at our hands with a raised brow, clicking her tongue in mild disapproval before leaving the plates in front of us. We had to eat with one hand each, though it would have been sensible to eat with both hands, because neither of us was willing to let go.

Fang and I chatted aimlessly as we ate; laughing like only the two of us did together. We made fun of Iggy, plotted Gazzy's demise, and made fun of the lady in the corner who looked like she just stepped out of the 1920s. After we finished, I set my fork down with a clatter and asked, "So, where to now?" My cheeks were red with laughter or (I hope not) blushing.

"Where do you want to go? He asked me, the twinkle still in his dark eyes and the ghost of his previous grin graced his lips. A corner of my mouth lifted into a half smile; what would be something ideal?

"Let's go for a walk," I decided, rooted to the idea of a perfect night sky and a perfect, well, everything. Fang nodded in agreement and we left the restaurant. As we walked along the sidewalk I turned my head away from him for a moment with a large smile on my face, hoping he didn't see. It still amazed me, what he did (or rather didn't) do.

He didn't let go of my hand.

I noticed that Fang's hand was large, enveloping my hand with ease in a soothing manner, even if he held it tightly. It fascinated me how his dark skin dramatically contrasted with mine.

"What?" He asked, noticing my observation with skilled ease.

"Nothing," I said, and I was smiling at him again. I couldn't seem to make myself stop.

_Stupid Max. _

The sky was almost pitch black by now, and Fang's jeans and black T-shirt blended in almost completely, he was becoming a floating head and I suppressed a chuckle. He probably heard and knew what I was thinking because he tugged on my hand.

"Let's stop here."

We sat down on a park bench that was nearby. Fang heaved a huge breath, his serious eyes fixed on me.  
"What?" I asked self-consciously when he didn't look away. He had serious eyes all the time but… not like_this_.

He shook his head wordlessly, changing his mind.

"You know you're my best friend, right?" His low voice rumbled seriously and I stiffened. They say that all the time in those stupid movies. It was like an 'uh-oh' waiting to happen to start off like that and we both knew it. How was he going to pull himself out of this one?

"Yeah, I know." And I waited.

"Good." He nodded his head, accepting my words and seemingly thinking of what to say. I sat silently, almost amused by his curious display of emotions. Suddenly Fang's eyes crinkled and he burst out laughing. "Remember that time at home when Iggy and Gazzy were going to dump honey and feathers on you and I said I'd protect you?"

I blushed, laughing nonetheless. _Oh boy did I remember._ "Yeah, I remember clinging to you in terror for the next week." Who wants honey and feathers on themselves, especially when you _already_ have feathers?

Fang grinned, his white teeth shining in the darkness. "That part wasn't so bad." I squinted my eyes into a glare at his remark.

"Fang!" I smacked him and he held his shoulder, laughing.

Slowly the laughed died in this throat and he grew somber again. I looked at him curiously; he was acting strange tonight. But then again, wasn't he strange to begin with?

"Can I tell you something?" And I suddenly felt like I was invading his deepest and darkest secret the way he looked at me. His face pleaded for me to say yes, his gaze unsure, his body shaking ever so slightly. It was overwhelming.

"Sure," I replied, stunned by his features. He looked down and swallowed hard, apparently unable to get the words out. "Fang…" I began.

We turned to face each other on the bench, as if we knew what was going to happen, and I took his other hand. His eyes looked almost wary, like I was going to yell at him. They flickered up to meet mine, and then down again as if he was a little kid who had just done something bad.

"It's just that…" He trailed off, swallowing hard. His eyes flashed up to lock on mine, and I couldn't move to look away. He had me in a trance again and I couldn't think or breathe. He started once more, this time his voice was clear and strong. My heart was pounding in my chest in anticipation.

"Somewhere, between then and now, I think I've fallen in love with you."

I swear my heart stopped. And I was screaming in my mind as the gears struggled to process his words, find words of my own, keep my body from doing something on instinct, get it to breathe, and even restart my heart. It's a lot for my brain to do. Then, out of nowhere, I felt my heart pounding in my chest, stuttering wildly. I was frozen, unable to move. Fang, the one with the least words of all of us, just told me that he was in love with me.

Slowly it began to sink in.

_Fang is in love with me. Holy crap. Fang is in love with me!_

To my horror, I felt hot tears welling up in my eyes. I automatically dropped my head to hide them from Fang. He shouldn't have to see me crying.

"Max?" I realized that I hadn't acknowledged his declaration. He sounded worried. "Max, why are you crying? What's wrong?" I could hear the agony in his voice, and looked up at him. What was he thinking right now to have that agony in his voice?

The tears streaking down my face shocked him, and he raised one of our clenched hands to brush away a tear. The sweet gesture from the usually silent boy caused a sob to rip from my chest. He untangled our hands and placed his own gently on my face, stroking my eyelids and cheekbones gently with his thumbs though he took care to avoid the darkening bruise. They were so warm, comforting me the same way he always does.

"I'm sorry," He murmured over and over, his voice saturated with anguish. "I'm so sorry." _I should be the one saying sorry…_

Wait…

I managed to control myself slightly, looking at him in bewilderment. "Why are _you_ sorry?"

His warm hands froze. Fang's eyes flitted swiftly over my face, taking in my expression and dissecting it to try to read my emotions. I stared back helplessly. Can't he see it too? I saw the desperation on his face, for the first time he could not read my own. I wanted to laugh but a few tears escaped instead.

"I love you too, moron." I said in a watery voice.

All of the air left Fang's chest in a huge exhalation, reminding me to breathe as well, and he grabbed me and crushed me to his chest in a tight hug. He buried his face deep into the crook of my neck as I threw my arms around his. Strangely, I felt relieved. After all this time… We had been skirting around this for too long.

We sat there for what seemed like an eternity, but eventually Fang pulled back enough to look at me. Fiddling gently with my fingers on my lap, Fang finally broke the silence.

"Max?" He reminded me of a curious little boy once again. Such a silly boy.

"Yeah?" I was curious of what he had to say.

"Can I… Can I kiss you?" He asked permission with a slight upward twitch of his lips.

I smiled at him.

"Sure."

And he did just that.

* * *

--Sigh--

It's so beautiful. :D

I have no clue what is going to be happening in the next chapter, so the next update may be a while longer than usual.


	9. Chapter 9

Hey!!

Ok -- I know it's been a lifetime or few.. but I am back now! :) I had two versions of this chapter.. and finally combined them because I was so desperate to post something. This is rather a filler chapter, but also hints at moving along the plot. I'm pretty happy with it! :)

Enjoy.

* * *

Fang and I walked slowly back to the house, trying to drag out the night. I kicked a pebble absentmindedly with my tennis shoe, not exactly anxious to go inside.

And _not_ for any of those mushy-gushy reasons that you might be thinking of, thank you very much. Iggy was going to have a field day with this if he figured out what had happened tonight.

Fang glanced over at me as if he could hear my thoughts. "Well… this is going to be awkward."

"Eh… yeah."

He flashed me a reassuring grin and sort of patted my shoulder then led the way up the steps. I followed him into the house.

"Hey, Ig, we're back," Fang called quietly as we shut the door behind us. The flickering of the TV was visible on the hall wall as we went in and kicked off our shoes.

"It's about time," Iggy grumbled, slouching against the door frame. "I was about to call Dr. M."

"Food took a while," I explained shortly, brushing past him on my way to the steps to my room.

"Oh, yeah, thanks for leaving without me, guys," Iggy continued, "always leaving – wait." I continued up the steps, a blush heating my neck. "What's going on?" He asked with his uncanny perceptiveness.

"Nothing," I heard Fang's deep voice answer.

"Oh my gosh. You – and Max – you… _you told her?_" Iggy stuttered, whispering the last part.

"Shut up, man," I heard Fang shove Iggy into the wall, then escaped into my room, shutting the door with my heart beating fast.

Downstairs, I heard Iggy whooping in delight and Fang's door slam behind him.

A few minutes later, the door opened and shut again as Dr. Martinez and the kids came home. They all immediately retreated into their rooms to hit the hay – it had been a long day for everyone.

I heard footsteps making their way up to my room, accompanied by a knock. "Max, can I come in?" Iggy called softly.

_Oh great. I really wanted to be humiliated tonight, _I thought with good humor.

"Oh, you may as well."

Iggy opened the door and strode in with an unbearable smirk on his face. He fell backwards onto my bed, pillowing his head with his hands and sighing. "So, Max," he began. "Anything... _exciting_ happen lately?"

I hit him over the head with a pillow. "No."

The tall boy sat up with an expression of mock horror in his clouded eyes. "_No?_ Wait till I tell Fang, he'll be crushed," he chortled.

"Oh, shut up, spike head."

Iggy didn't even try to look offended at my insult to his gelled hair, then allowed his expression to become serious. "Honestly, Max, I've never seen him like this."

I busied myself at pulling a thread out of my comforter. "Like what?"

"I don't know… _content_, I guess you could say. Do you know what he's doing right now?" Iggy demanded, smacking his hand on my bed for emphasis.

"…no?"

"He's lying on his bed, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling. And, I know I'm blind," he said, "but I would bet you at least ten bucks and some gun powder that he has a very dorky expression on his face."

I hit him again. "It's not dorky to be happy, nimrod."

"Maybe so," Iggy conceded, "but whatever it is, that's what Fang is practically _radiating_ right now."

I couldn't help smiling (it didn't matter, Iggy couldn't see it anyway) at the picture in my head. After a moment of letting my mind wander in la-la-land, Iggy brought me back to the present with an unexpected hug. He was so much taller than I was now that the top of my head was under his chin. He gave me a quick squeeze with his lanky arms, then pulled back and strode quickly to the door without another word.

* * *

I sailed blissfully through the rest of the school week. It was impossible not to be happy with my life – I had a home, a mom, and _Fang._

Finally.

As we maneuvered our way through the packed halls, I couldn't keep a self-satisfied half smile off of my face as Fang completely ignored any girl who gawked at him from the corner of their eyes.

Fang glanced over at me, amusement making the sides of his eyes crinkle up. He leaned in and whispered so that only I could hear, "You look happy."

I grinned a full-blown smile back at him. "So do you." It was true. Fang was more relaxed, the tight set of his jaw and shoulders mostly gone.

Fang shrugged carelessly and opened the door to the art classroom for me with a small smile. "I have a reason to be."

We took our seats, keeping a comfortable silence between us.

I cautiously eyed the things on the table in front of us. There were wires, beads, pliers, chains, and string.

"Jewelry?" I asked in slightly dubious tone.

"I guess so," Fang replied in an equally disgusted voice.

We glanced over the instructions on the board. I grabbed a piece of string with a sigh of resignation.

"_Wow_, this is going to be terrible."

Fang followed my example and we both began working.

"So, what do you think?" I asked him quietly as we kept our hands busy.

"About…"

"Well.." I gave him 'the look' that meant_ the School_, "and just how long we can stay here and stuff."

Fang shrugged, dark eyes focused on his hands. "I don't know."

"Fang," I started, thinking of something that had been puzzling me for a while, "remember when we first got here and went shopping? And you and Iggy had to take me home?"

Fang's eyes narrowed darkly at the memory. "Yes."

"Why hasn't anything happened yet? I mean, she threatened us, but didn't do anything about it."

"Maybe she doesn't know where we are," he suggested.

"Hmm." I slid a bead on the string. "Maybe."

Fang looked up at me, his expression serious. "Or maybe we need to start keeping our eyes open more."

Before I could reply to his ominous statement, he held up his project for me to look at.

It was a simple, black string with one ornament on it. It was a piece of silver wire, bent skillfully into the shape of a feather. On either side of the modest pendant was a knot in the string.

"Wow, Fang," I fingered the feather admiringly. "I don't remember paying for art school. Someone gypped you of a career when they made you a hybrid," I teased.

Fang's ears turned slightly red, but he only shrugged. "Well, you may as well have it – there's no way in heck I'm wearing it." He spun the stool that I was sitting on so that I was facing away from him. I pulled my ponytail out of the way, and he reached his arms around me to get the necklace around my neck. He fastened it carefully, then sort of patted my neck gently.

"Thanks," I said, smiling at him. "Does that mean you'll wear mine?"

Fang warily eyed the string of colorful beads that I had absentmindedly put together. "Ah.. no."

I frowned at him. "Well, at least put this on." I took three pieces of plain, black string and braided them together quickly, then tied it around his wrist.

"There. Hardly noticeable."

Fang rolled his eyes but didn't remove it.

* * *

"And so _then,_" Ella grunted with effort as she lifted the weight bar, "we went to get some food and then just sat and talked for like an hour."

"Sounds fun," I grinned, marking down the weight of the machine Ella was using. Rain had changed our gym schedule from soccer to the weight room for the day.

"Yeah." She glanced over to where Alex was running easily on the treadmill.

Ella looked at me in appraisal for a second. "Max," she started, "I don't care if this embarrasses you, I'm going to say it anyway. I can tell that you're so much happier since you guys came here and haven't been on the run for ever, and I hope that you can stay here as long as possible."

I flushed slightly. "Yeah, I am happy," I admitted. "I feel normal for the first time in my life. And it feels _good._"

* * *

It had been three months.

Three months since we had showed up in my mom's back yard. Three months since we had started school. Three months since I had slept on the hard ground with no pillow.

I was starting to get worried.

Don't get me wrong – I _loved_ being 'normal'. Going to school… having soccer games… being a normal teenager. It was just the old paranoia coming back. Everything was quiet. _Too_ quiet.

Things had been going well for the Flock. Angel was excelling in all of her subjects, Gazzy had a gang of kids that he ran around with and constantly got into trouble with, Nudge was popular again, Iggy was learning Braille, my team was kicking butt in soccer, and Fang was just being Fang.

And Chris only got mysteriously beaten up one more time.

Every day after school, Fang would walk me out to the stadium, and would sit in the bleachers and either watch, read, or do homework while I had my practice. Then afterward, he would join us and Alex would take Ella, Fang and I home.

Now, though, practices were getting longer.

Championships were in a week.

I jogged over to the fence, blowing sweaty hair out of my eyes. Fang snapped his book shut when he heard me coming and grabbed his backpack.

"Good practice?" He asked as we walked to Alex's car.

"Yeah," I grinned. "I think we have a good chance of winning."

"Of course."

I laughed and looked over – he was looking straight ahead and had a completely blank expression except for a smile playing around his lips. I punched him on the shoulder lightly. "Come on, now, we do!"

Fang grinned at me and slid an arm around my shoulders and gave me a quick squeeze. "Of course," he repeated, but this time his voice and the look he gave me was softer. We continued on to the parking lot and hopped into the back seat of Alex's red convertable where he and Ella were already waiting.

"It's about time you got here, I was about to come after you!" Alex teased us, glancing back in the rearview mirror as he pulled out of the lot.

I rolled my eyes and didn't bother to answer. This was an old routine by now. I glanced over at Fang, and an unexpected pressure squeezed in my chest. He fit in just as completely in a screaming red convertable with the top down as he did punching out an Eraser. His serious eyes were boring straight ahead, ignoring the dark hair whipping around his head. I squashed the irrational rush of emotion and reverted to simple happiness.

For now, life was good.

* * *

Hey, Beefcake the Mightly -- I remember you said something about being my beta? If you are still interested in that, let me know and we'll start right on the next chapter :)

Review, please.


	10. Chapter 10

I realize it's been forever, but I have an idea for the next chapter so don't kill me :P

* * *

**Max POV**

I impatiently blew the sweaty hair out of my eyes as I waited outside of the locker room for Fang to pick me up. My messy brown hair was pulled back off of my neck, but I was still hot. I pushed down my high soccer socks in an attempt to lose some heat. I glanced up as the sound of footsteps split the silence, an involuntary smile flickering around my lips.

"Hey, Fang."

"Hey," he answered in his deep voice. He was still wearing his work clothes, which consisted of a black T-shirt and jeans covered in grease from his job at the local car repair shop. "How did the game go?"

"Pretty well. We won," I answered, flashing him a grin. "We only have one game left, and it's section finals."

He nodded as if that was expected, making me smile again. Fang casually grabbed my hand as we walked toward the car.

I noticed him looking around a few times. "What's up? Looking for something?"

Fang shrugged, his brow furrowed. "Nah. Thought I heard something."

We got to the car, and I tossed my bag in the back before jumping into the passenger seat. "Come on, let's go."

As we pulled out of the parking lot and onto the back road that would take us home, I closed my eyes and leaned back against the headrest. I felt Fang's gaze on me.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," I said, putting my feet up on the dashboard. "Pretty drained though. Not sure why."

"Long day I guess."

"Yeah," I replied. "How was work?" Absentmindedly I tugged on my soccer socks.

"Fine."

"A man of little words," I sighed, opening my eyes to send him a lazy smile. He turned his head to grin back, unapologetic.

As I turned my eyes back to the road, every muscle in my body clenched simultaneously as adrenaline flooded my veins. "FANG!"

His eyes whipped back to the road and he swore and jerked on the steering wheel, whipping the car around fast enough that I cracked my head off of the window. Fang tried to control the car but we slammed into a tree. Before the car even stopped moving, he tore out of the car and around to my side.  
"Max, get out!"

I ripped my seatbelt off and stumbled out of the car, wiping the blood from my eyes that was rolling from my temple. Fang's eyes were dark and worried as he grabbed my arms and pulled me behind him. Then we both turned to face the road, where an army of Flyboys stood shoulder to shoulder.

Waiting to kill us.

"Oh _crap._"

I blinked to clear the red haze that obscured my vision, then assessed the situation. "So we got hijacked on the way home from soccer practice, we're currently facing down an army of freak-o robots who are armed to the metaphorical teeth, there are two of us, and neither of us have weapons. _Great_."

Fang reached into the back pocket of his greasy work jeans. "I have these." He showed me two heavy duty metal wrenches that he used in the shop. "I forgot to put them back."

"Oh great," I threw up my hands, "that makes the situation SO MUCH BETTER!"

"No need for sarcasm, Max," he said dryly. "Let's just go kick some butt and it'll all be good."

"Yeah, okay."

I straightened my spine in my own kick-butt Max way and strode over to the regiment of robots. I stopped about ten feet in front of the leader and surveyed them disdainfully. "Go ahead, make your spiel about how you're going to kill us and take over the world."

"Not necessary," the first guy droned. Then he leaped at me.

A black blur flashed in front of me as Fang headed him off, landing him two solid blows on either side of the metal skull with his wrenches. I'm not going to lie – he looked like a ninja as he spun and fought double handed.

"I could have taken him!" I yelled to Fang as the other Flyboys attacked.

"I have the metal objects," Fang ground out as he kicked the fallen robot in the back. "Figured I should take the first round."

Rolling my eyes, I reached down to the metal heap I had just incapacitated and wrenched off an arm with a screech of metal. "Me too. Problem solved." Letting loose with a yell, I leaped back into the fray.

* * *

"Alex, wait up!" Ella called, dashing after the tall dark-haired boy as he entered the parking lot. "Can you give me a ride home?" she asked breathlessly as she slung her backpack over her shoulder. "I think Max and Nick left already."

Alex flashed her an easy grin and casually draped an arm over her shoulders. "Sure. How did you think practice went?"

"Fine for me, at least. I think we're going to kick some major butt at the game in a few days."

Alex waited for her to get in to his car then shut the door behind her. "I agree," he said, jumping over the side into the drivers' seat. "I think with you, me, and Max on the same team we're pretty much invincible. Especially since Chris finally got benched."

"I know!" Ella cheered, punching a fist into the air jokingly. "We'll have to do something after the game to celebrate our win. Like go out to eat or something." She eyed Alex out of the corner of her eye to assess his reaction.

He rewarded her with a soft grin. "I'd like that."

Ella turned her face away from him and allowed a smile to spread across her face. She laughed as Alex suddenly whooped and turned up the radio as loud as it would play.

"_We're goin' to states, baby!"_

As they pulled up to the curb beside Ella's house, Alex turned the key and turned to face Ella, laughter still in his eyes.

"I'm glad I know you, Ella Martinez," he breathed, then leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.

A hectic flush spread across Ella's cheekbones when he pulled away, a silly grin on her lips. She turned her face away, then Ella narrowed her eyes. "Where's the car?" she wondered out loud. "They should be home by now…" She grabbed her bag and ran to the front door, Alex following a step or two behind. "MOM? Are Max and Nick here?"

Dr. Martinez stepped out of the kitchen. "No, F-Nick –" she eyed Alex "-took my car to go pick Max up from soccer a while ago. I figured you were with them."

"No, I don't know where they are.

Her eyes tightened with worry. "Give them a while. They might have gone to get something." She sounded like she was trying to convince herself.  
Alex cleared his throat awkwardly at the door. "Want me to hang around a little so you'll have a car if you need it?"

"Sure," Ella managed a smile and shut the door behind him. "Come on in."

* * *

**Fang POV**

My eyes tightened slightly as I grasped a ragged shard of metal and yanked it out of my forearm. "_Holy-" _ I muffled my exclamation in clenched teeth and covered the wound to suppress the bleeding.

"Fang?" Max's voice came from where she was standing amid smoking, torn metal.

"Yeah. You okay?" I kicked a fallen Flyboy out of my way and began making my way over to her. I could make out a few bruises already beginning to form on her cheekbones.

"Fine," she called back. "I think we got all these guys. I don't know what they were after though."

"Us, duh," I said grimly. Her face and clothes were covered in blood and dirt, and I was sure I wasn't in much better shape. "We gotta get home now."

"Yeah, I know. They're probably all –"

Max cut off with a pained grunt as a Flyboy on the ground mustered its last strength and heaved itself to its feet before tackling her to the ground.

I broke into a run and dashed towards the pair struggling on the ground. I heard a sickening crack and a small explosion and ran faster.

I heaved the thing off of her, but it was already dead. I twisted my mouth in distain as I threw it as far away as I could.

"Max, are you all right?" I knelt beside her, my flitting eyes quickly taking in her pale face.

"I think my leg's broken," she whispered through white lips.

"Oh. _God._ I think so too," I replied, glancing down at her badly angled leg. "Um. Okay. I'm going to help you up."

I slid an arm gently under her shoulders and braced her waist. Clenching my jaw, I lifted up. She cried out in pain.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I muttered over and over. She put her good leg on the ground and tried to stand, but she jostled the broken bone and the ends grated on each other.

Mercifully for her, she passed out from the pain.

Unfortunately for me, I was now left with an unconscious girlfriend in the middle of a dark road with a totaled car and no way to get home. Plus I couldn't use my wings for fear of being seen.

I lowered her back down to the ground and sat with her cradled in my arms while I tried to think.

_Now what?_

_

* * *

_

Review please :)


	11. Chapter 11

**Ella POV**

"Ella, calm down. You're going to wear a hole in the carpet." Alex looked up at me, eyes calm.

I scowled at him from where I was pacing. "Seriously, Alex, this could be bad."

"What's so terrible? So they're an hour late, maybe they went for a joyride." He shrugged.

"No. Not them. They could be in trouble." _He has no idea._

Alex rose to his feet and came to stand directly in front of me. He grasped my upper arms and ducked his head slightly to meet my eyes. "It's going to be all right," he said softly. "I don't really know what's going on, but Nick and Max can take care of themselves."

"I know," I replied,

"Well, why don't we go look for them? I'll drive you, your mom can stay here in case they get home."

I was already halfway out the door. "What are you waiting for?"

* * *

**Fang POV**

I gathered what was left of my strength to stagger to my feet with Max limp in my arms. Her leg dangled sickeningly. _At least she's not awake to feel it__,_ I thought grimly. That kind of pain was enough to put even Max over the edge.

Of course this was when her eyes fluttered. Her beautiful face was white as a sheet, but she stubbornly locked her jaw against crying out.

"Hey," I whispered to her, walking as smoothly as I could to avoid jarring her.

"Hey," she whispered back. "We get all those stupid robots this time?"

I almost cracked a smile at her pitiful attempt at a joke. "Sure did. Beat the crap out of the one that got you."

Her forehead creased. "Was already dead…"

Here I grinned. "I feel better though."

She shook her head, amused. Her head drooped to my shoulder as exhaustion and pain took over.

"Come on, Max, stay with me, baby," I murmured as her eyes drifted shut.

"'m'awake…"

"Good. Sleeping is a bad thing right now." I scanned the road as I walked, searching for anything that would get us home.

"Mom's probably worried sick," she roused herself enough to say. I shifted her slightly in my arms to get a better grip.

"Not for much longer. I think I see a car." My words fell on deaf ears though, Max was out again. I swore and freed a hand long enough to smooth the hair from her face. _You better wake up after this, you stubborn girl._

The car couldn't have come at a better time. After all we had been through that day without food, my knees were beginning to feel shaky.

And what made it even better was when the bright red convertible screeched up to a halt and Alex and Ella jumped out.

I nearly sank to my knees in relief.

"Oh my god. Max?" Ella raced to us and worriedly eyed her sister's limp form.

"We've got to get her to your mom. She's in bad shape." I realized I probably didn't look much better with the bloody gash on my arms as I staggered up the street toward the car. Alex helped me support Max as I climbed into the car and resettled her in my arms. I bent down and pressed my lips to her bloody forehead as Alex and Ella climbed back into the car and sped down the road.

Ella tried to interrogate me about the events of the day as we drove, but I leaned back against the seat, too weary to speak. After what seemed like eternity we were finally home. The door banged open and Dr. Martinez flew out, eyes panicked. "Max! Fang! Are you all right?!"

Alex looked at Max and I, a bewildered look in his eyes. "Wait, _Fang_?" I ignored him and lifted Max, who was starting to come around again.

"Mom, it's fine," she said groggily.

Dr. Martinez let out a humorless laugh as her hands fluttered over Max's body, checking for injuries. "Only you would tell me "it's okay" while being carried – I don't even know how badly you're hurt – into my house."

I met her eyes evenly, feeling oddly calm. "Broken leg. A few bruises. She'll be fine."

Dr. Martinez took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Right."

It appeared that Alex had been shocked into silence. Ella grabbed his arm as he stood and gaped at me, attempting to drag him into the house. "Come on, Alex, let's go let the others know that Max and Fang are home."

_So much for keeping our names a secret_, I thought wryly as I carried a now alert Max into the house. I laid her gently on the kitchen table, hating the wince that she tried to mask.

"All right, Max, before you tell us what happened let's get you fixed up." Dr. Martinez faced me. "I don't think you'll want to be here when I set her leg," she said gently.

"I'll stay," I replied impassively.

"Don't be stupid, Fang," Max frowned at me. "I know you're about to fall over. Go get something to eat. I'll be fine."

My eyes tightened involuntarily, but I knew she was right. I _was_ feeling distinctly lightheaded, not that I would ever admit it to Max.

I squeezed Max's shoulder once then left the room. Bones broken that badly were no fun. Walking into the living room I collapsed gratefully onto the couch and shut my eyes. A few minutes later I felt a small hand tap my knee. I opened my eyes to see Angel standing in front of me, looking uncharacteristically shy.

"Hey," I said. Angel didn't say anything, just looked at me with huge, sad, blue eyes.

I opened my arms.

Angel crawled gratefully onto my lap like she used to when she was a baby and settled into my chest.

"Max is all right, isn't she?"

"Yep," I replied. "Dr. Martinez is fixing her up." I suddenly remembered my own injury and shifted to make sure I didn't get any blood on her pretty blue t-shirt.

"You love Max, right?" Angel looked up at me with her innocent, six-year old face and I answered truthfully.

"Yeah."

"Good." After a few minutes of silence, she spoke again. "I read what you were thinking about today but it's all blurry," she frowned.

I let out a short laugh. "I'm a little tired."

From the kitchen I heard a snap, then Max's yelped once. I winced and tried to concentrate on something else.

"Why are you out here instead of in there with her?"

"Because Max loves _me_," I said wryly, remembering the pain on her face. It was true. If I was in there I would probably have demolished the table or something by now. Angel slipped her small arms around my waist. "I love you, too," she said in a small voice.

My heart broke a little bit.

I buried my face in her soft, blonde curls, helplessly overcome with emotion.

"You're my best girl, Angel."

* * *

**Please review for this chapter - I got a pitiful amount on the last one after getting a whole bunch on the ones before that! Leave a comment, it makes my day.**

**Plus I thought this chapter went really well and had a lot of good points in it.. feedback, tell me what you think!**


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